You know you're getting old when you remember the first time an artist got cool (although there must have been a few times before) and was popular in art schools. Fifteen years later, I was curious to see if I still liked this pomo fun lover. And yes, the work still had a light touch, a concern with what paintings look like, some juice. Not mouth dropping amazing, but certainly less blow-hard than old mawkish Kiefer.

Absolutely! The comparison with Kiefer and the Goodman show of Richter are a rare alignment of the stars and worth a review in itself. If my own situation wasn't so dire I'd take the time to triangulate German painting by this, between the irreverent, the pompous and the doggedly efficient. For all three to be in play during Frieze week says something a) about the growing prestige of Frieze and b) the somewhat stagnant state of German painting. Been a while since they wheeled out the Next Big Thing.... Berlin just isn't really clicking and I detect a distinct note of envy on the part of German dealers at the way London prospers while Berlin simmers.

The show is of course a slightly refined version of the MoMA NY jumbo retro, of which I had more to say here.